They immediately did yet another bilateral mastectomy after all that I had been through to get those boobs , only to also find out that I needed to freeze my eggs because I would never be able to have children , which was my lifelong dream ! Thankfully , I was able to freeze my eggs , and after my bilateral mastectomy , I immediately started 20-something rounds of radiation and 30-something rounds of chemo over the next two years . Luckily , I was deemed in remission in 2018 and thought I was finally able to move on for good !
2020 brought on a whole new lifestyle for most people because that ’ s when COVID hit the world . But for me , it brought a third and final diagnosis . After coming home from work one day , I fell to my knees in pain from severe back pain and incontinence , which was so bad it took me to the ER . That ’ s where I found out that I now had terminal stage four metastatic breast cancer that had metastasized to my bones .
Three months later , I found out it had also metastasized to my liver , along with the devastating news that I would never be able to have children — not only because my cancer was hormone-driven , which would kill me faster , but because I wouldn ’ t live long enough to raise a baby . That ’ s when I cried . That ’ s when I became angry and lost all hope . Why me ? I felt like a waste of space on earth .
Over time , I ’ ve done countless rounds of chemo , radiation , and trials . I ’ ve lost my hair and grown it back , only to lose it again and again . From 2011 to 2024 , I went from a youthful , vibrant , hopeful , fun-loving young girl to a now 40-year-old woman who doesn ’ t recognize the person staring back at her in the mirror . While everyone else was graduating college , moving up in their careers , getting married , having children , buying houses , traveling the world , and growing old together , I was stuck , doing the same thing every day for 14 years with no way out ! But sometimes , the things we can ’ t change end up changing us !
From that moment on , I decided to make a plan . I decided to handle my cancer with a different approach . Now , I hope for the best , prepare for the worst , and pray for a miracle ! That ’ s how we should all live our lives , right ? Because no one is promised tomorrow . After hearing recently that my cancer has metastasized to my brain and that I have less than a year to live , I ’ ve noticed that , like my journey , my outlook on life has also changed . For example , my bucket list used to be filled with travel and new experiences , but now it consists of spending more time with loved ones , finding my purpose , letting go of the past , not caring what other people think , truly living in the moment , and , hopefully , along the way , finding a legacy that I can leave behind to make the world a better place .
WRITTEN BY KIMBERLY MORTON
Unbroken
All the while , my personal life was put on hold . I couldn ’ t work — who would hire someone who needs to take off work for 6 to 8 weeks to recover from a surgery they were having every three months ? Not to mention the complications and side effects I had on a daily basis . Eventually , I had a successful breast surgery and was finally able to put all of that behind me . Or , so I thought .
But that wasn ’ t an option because , although I had been telling my doctors about a concerning lump where my skin was twisted and dark purple , I was reassured once again that I was too young and that the likelihood of me getting breast cancer again was slim to none . They told me it was most likely fatty necrosis from all the surgeries and that I shouldn ’ t worry about it . Which , as it turns out , is not true . Breast cancer is the number one recurring cancer out there ! Thankfully , I didn ’ t listen and went to a different doctor , asking for a punch biopsy , thanks to my mom , who was quick to encourage that process ! That ’ s when my life came to a screeching halt — I was told in 2016 that I was now diagnosed with stage 3 / 4 invasive breast cancer !
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